


Spellbound

by Cheol_Apple



Category: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Video Game)
Genre: Comedy, Harihar, M/M, No Beta, Tags May Change, i can't explain this to her even if i tried, poor harith honestly, why did they give him this skin lmao, will add characters later - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23359855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheol_Apple/pseuds/Cheol_Apple
Summary: Harith opened his eyes.A well-dressed Leonin stared back at him, clad in a bright pink cloak with white fur. The purple dress underneath had a belt with golden attachments and a small teddy bear. The Leonin also wore white gloves with matching stockings—he didn’t notice the stockings—which darkened from white to pink as they approached his purple shoes with blue ribbons and heels. The Leonin’s face didn’t look so bad either, as it was framed by beautifully cut dark hair that reached just to the edges of the chin. Atop the hair was a pair of soft, gray feline ears, with a soft, gray tail to match.Harith was that Leonin. The Leonin was him.or, the fic about *that* skin. Y'all know what skin I'm talking about.
Relationships: Alucard/Granger (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang), Harith/Harley (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang), Lesley/Miya (Implied)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 60





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> this was bound to happen from the very start.

The bell atop the Monastery of Light struck six just as Harith pushed open the door of his nearby house open. He slipped in, leaning on it as it closed and wiping the sweat off his forehead with his free hand. In the other hand was a leather bag that was filled to bursting with books.

“Granger! Have you seen—oh! Harith! There you are,” Alucard saw him from the top of the stairs, and he walked down quickly, kneeling and fussing over the Leonin’s wrinkled clothes. “Where were you? We were just about to eat dinner.”

“I was at the Imperial Sanctuary. Their library’s awesome, Princess Silvanna had to let me borrow these books just so I could be home on time,” Harith wrinkled his nose as Alucard lovingly ruffled his hair.

“Well, don’t take too long next time. Did you thank the princess?”

“Of course I thanked the princess.”

“Alright then. At least these books can keep you occupied when Granger and I leave for a mission in a couple of days.” The demon hunter brows furrowed. “Which reminds me—no spellcasting when Granger and I are away.”

“What—but—Alucard—! I’m a mage! Magic is my life!” Harith protested, he would’ve stomped his feet if he wasn’t too exhausted.

“No buts. Fanny agreed to babysit you while we’re away but I don’t trust her to stop you from doing mischievous stuff.” Alucard stood up and started walking to the kitchen, Harith trailing behind him in frustration. “She can be pretty mischievous herself.”

“But that’s not fair! I’m a good mage! I’m a very talented mage! Granger,” Harith turned to the musician, who was reading a book by the dining table. “Don’t you think I’m one of the best mages in the empire!?”

Granger regarded him silently before turning his eyes back to the book. “Of course you are.”

Harith put his free hand on his hip and smirked at Alucard.

“Doesn’t mean you don’t have too much fun with it, though.”

“What?! No, not you too…” Harith pouted, and the two demon hunters shared a snicker at his expression.

“Don’t fret,” Alucard told him as he started setting the table. “We won’t be gone for long. And you can invite Harley and Nana over. Don’t you like having them over?”

Harith grumbled. “It’s not fun if they can use their magic and I can’t.”

Granger raised an eyebrow. “Then _don’t_ invite them over.”

“That—that’s not the point!”

“Enough, now,” Alucard warned him. “We’ll talk about this further tomorrow. Right now, I’m starving and I’m sure you are too. Maybe the food will lift your spirits.”

Harith pouted once more as food was ladled onto his plate. Yes, the stew smelled amazing, paired with mashed potatoes and a small tub of gravy. But it wasn’t as though it would do anything to change his guardians’ rules. He ate quickly, and once the food was gone and the dishes cleaned, he quickly ran up to his room, the bag of books dragging behind him.

_________________

“Lord of Light, how _thick_ is this book?” Harith turned over a yellowed page to look at a diagram of complicated runes. “I didn’t know spells could be five pages long. What kind of mage has a patience to cast that?”

He looked over at the pile of books beside his bed, waiting to be read, and then back at the first book he opened at his reading desk. The cover was embossed leather, patterns tracing out a complicated design of vines, swirls, and even hearts. It had caught his attention at the last minute before leaving the library so he didn’t know what was inside. Luckily, it turned out to be a spellbook like the other ones he borrowed, though the spells in it seemed more advanced than usual.

“Besides, I’ve been forbidden from casting spells anyway. Stupid Demon Hunter and his stupid rules,” Harith mumbled under his breath as he read another spell. “Can _he_ cast magic? I don’t think so. I should just cast a spell on him while he and Granger are here…”

The Leonin’s feline eyes widened as he realized something.

 _While Alucard and Granger are here_. They still haven’t left for their mission, right? Yet Harith was already acting like he wasn’t allowed to cast magic anymore…

He let out an exhilarated giggle. He can still cast spells! Forget about pranking those demon hunters. He wanted to try a spell out from his borrowed book first.

A spell that wasn’t five pages long, at least…

It took Harith thirty more pages before he found what he wanted. The spell was only a page long, and the runes were simple enough. It was untitled, but the rest of the spells were, as well. After he checked if the book had a counterspell section in the back, he felt confident enough to cast the spell.

The mage raised his hand and traced runes in the air, which glimmered silver before fading. As he did so, he chanted the lines from the book, making sure not to mispronounce them. As he got closer to the end, a light pink fog started to form around his fingers, but Harith pushed on. It only meant the spell was working. After he said the last word in the spell, the pink fog disappeared with a soft but audible pop. Then… nothing.

“What—that was it?” Harith frowned, he leaned over the book again to check whether he had forgotten to follow any rules. But he hadn’t, the spell had been pretty simple. Maybe the spell was just faulty and someone made an error? Or maybe the spell wouldn’t work with Leonin magic? But that didn’t make sense either, Leonins like him cast cast all kinds of spells without any difficulty…

He shrugged and flipped the page, looking for another spell to cast, but as his fingers lifted, he noticed they seemed heavier than usual. His eyesight dimmed and his eyelids grew heavy as well. He let out an involuntary yawn.

“…Why am I sleepy all of a sudden…” Harith glanced drowsily at the clock above his bed. Half past nine. It wasn’t even that late yet, why did he feel like sleeping already...?

“Maybe that run from the Imperial Sanctuary back to here made me more tired than I realized,” Harith decided, stifling another yawn with his hand. “Maybe… I should just sleep for now… I can continue reading tomorrow mor—“

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Harith’s eyes finally closed, and he slowly fell over his reading desk, the book cushioning his head.

He was fast asleep before his head hit the pages.

_________________

“Harith!!! Breakfast!”

Harith opened his eyes groggily, staring up at the clock. Seven-thirty. _Already? Wow, I must have been extremely tired last night_. He looked down on his reading desk, and at the book he left open. He must have used it as a pillow last night, since the pages were now pretty wrinkled.

 _Sorry Princess Silvanna, I ruined one of your books_ , Harith cringed as he flattened out the page, the yellowed colors contrasted strongly against his white gloves—

Wait, _white gloves_? He was a hundred percent sure he didn’t own any gloves close to that color.

And… now that he was fully awake…

Why did his hair feel weirder than usual? He grasped a lock of his hair and stared at it. Blackish, brownish strands greeted him instead of his normal silver. He began panicking silently.

The problem only worsened from there. As he raised his hand to his hair, he noticed that his entire outfit had been changed as well. He was wearing a pink, fur-lined cloak, which was tied off with a big, pink ribbon, embellished with a shiny heart. His pants had been replaced, to his horror, by a purple dress with a matching belt with _more_ embellished accessories with hearts. And his shoes weren’t spared either; they had been replaced with purple strappy shoes, finished off by blue ribbons and _heels_. He was wearing _heels_.

“What the _fuck_ ,” Harith said out loud, forgetting what Alucard taught him about not swearing. “What the _fuck happened to me!?_ ”

Somewhere in his mind a tiny voice cried that it must have been the spell, the spell that he casted last night, the drowsiness must have been one of its effects and it turned him into—into this—

“Okay, calm down Harith,” the Leonin reasoned with himself. “ _Maybe_ this is an illusion-type spell that only makes me _think_ I look like this, right? _Maybe_ this is what the other mages called…what was it again? A _glamor_? Yes, that’s it. Maybe this is just a glamor. So, when I look at the mirror, it wouldn’t show me looking like this, right? When I look at the mirror, I will see my normal self with my normal hair and my normal clothes. Okay, Harith. It’s just three steps to the mirror of your dresser. It’ll be fine.”

He scooted off the edge of his chair, cringing at how the dress’s skirt fell against his knees. Shakily, he stood up, cringing even further at how the heels felt on his feet. They seemed so _real_ …

 _No, Harith!_ He scolded himself. _They aren’t real! Get yourself together!_

One step. Then another. Harith closed his eyes just before he stepped in front of mirror.

 _When I open my eyes,_ the mage announced silently in his head, _I will see my silver hair, and my white cloak, and my blue clothes. I will not see this stupid-looking cloak and this ridiculous dress, or this weird, dark hair. I will definitely not see those stupid heeled shoes._

_Yes! That’s all that this is! A glamor! When I open my eyes, it’ll all disappear!_

Harith opened his eyes.

A well-dressed Leonin stared back at him, clad in a bright pink cloak with white fur. The purple dress underneath had a belt with golden attachments and a small teddy bear. The Leonin also wore white gloves with matching stockings—he didn’t notice the _stockings_ —which darkened from white to pink as they approached his purple shoes with blue ribbons and heels. The Leonin’s face didn’t look so bad either, as it was framed by beautifully cut dark hair that reached just to the edges of the chin. Atop the hair was a pair of soft, gray feline ears, with a soft, gray tail to match.

Harith was that Leonin. The Leonin was him.

In desperation, he turned his head. A small bell tinkled on the choker that was around his neck. It was another thing he didn’t notice the first time around.

Harith put up his delicate, gloved hands to his face and _screamed._


	2. The Beautiful Leonin Upstairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his disastrous morning, Harith has no choice but to ask for help from his Demon Hunter guardians. But will they believe that the lady-like Cat Elf and their own Harith are even the same person?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm editing this to Run the World (Girls) lmao
> 
> (since Harith is a girl get it?)
> 
> (that was corny af ._.)

Mornings in the Demon Hunters’ home start the same way they always have.

Since Alucard is the only one who can touch the kitchen appliances without the possibility of burning the house down, he is usually the one up first, cooking breakfast for himself and the other occupants of the home. By the time he’s almost finished, Granger would be up as well, and he insists on playing some music before they eat because _that’s how musicians become greater Alucard, they have to train at least ten minutes per day—_

Oh, well. It’s better than him practicing at night.

Harith is the last one up, as teenagers always are. Granger’s music is a pretty effective alarm clock after all, and then they all eat breakfast together. Today, though, was a different scene.

Alucard put the last set of dishes on the table, mentally counting down in his head. Fifteen minutes since Granger stopped playing, and Harith wasn’t up yet. That was odd, usually he was up and complaining while the musician was only halfway.

“Harith! Breakfast!” The swordsman yelled as he poured orange juice into their respective glasses, he was getting hungrier by the minute. If the Leonin doesn’t come down soon he’d—

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The two Demon Hunters looked at each other, alarm growing on their faces. Granger’s hand instinctively reached for the gun he always carried by his side.

“ALUCARD!! GRANGER!! HELP!!!!!”

That did it. They both ran up the stairs, Alucard grabbing his sword that he kept by the landing. Anxiety thrummed against his nerves, Harith was a pretty strong mage. For him to cry for help when they were just in the comforts of their own home was—

“NO! WAIT! STOP!”

Granger, who had been in running ahead of Alucard, stopped abruptly, causing the swordsman to collide against his back. He almost stabbed Granger with his sword.

“Hey? What gives? Harith is in danger!” He complained, putting a good distance between the marksman and his blade.

“He just told us to stop,” Granger shrugged.

“And you decided to follow immediately?! He could be in trouble!” Alucard insisted. He moved ahead of Granger and knocked on Harith’s door. “Harith? It’s us. What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“No—I mean, yes! G-go back… I’ll… I’ll be down in a minute!”

Alucard turned to Granger. “Did he just lie to us?”

The musician just raised an eyebrow at him, which, in Granger’s limited repertoire of expressions, meant, _Obviously, you idiot_.

Alucard sighed as he faced the wood again. “Harith, if something’s wrong, you have to tell us. We can help!”

The reply came back harsher than necessary. “No, you can’t!!! I—I look _horrible_!”

_Look?_

“Well, whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together, okay, just tell us if it’s okay to come in!”

The only answer was another distressed cry.

“Harith, we’re not going to get anywhere with this!” Alucard exclaimed. “I’m going to count to three, and after that, we’re barging in, whether you like it or not! One—“

“This is taking too long,” Granger shoved Alucard aside and pushed the door open, just as Harith also screamed “NO!!!!!”

What greeted them inside astonished them.

A stranger was standing in front of Harith’s dresser, and it looked like a Leonin, like Harith. The similarities ended there. She—Alucard decided it was a she—wore a pink fur cloak over a purple dress with a white and pink skirt, along with white stockings and purple shoes. She also had a gray tail and ears.

She was looking at them with a distraught expression, tears pooling at the edge of her eyes. Alucard had the strangest urge to adopt her. _Is this what Miya felt when she first saw Nana_?

The girl Leonin opened her mouth to speak, but Granger moved faster. He put up his gun, standing between her and Alucard. “Where is Harith and what did you do to him?!”

“B-but… but I _am_ Harith!” The Leonin cried in earnest, tears streaming down her—his?—face.

“Bullshit,” Granger continued, despite Alucard’s greatest efforts to stop him from swearing in front of children. “Tell us what you did to him, and maybe we’ll consider sparing you—“

“Granger,” Alucard put a hand on Granger’s outstretched arm, gently coaxing him to put his arm down. “You’re scaring him.”

“Him!?” Granger was indignant. “That can’t possibly be Harith! She—he—it’s…” He fidgeted. “…too pretty.”

Alucard silently agreed, choosing instead to kneel in front of the crying Leonin. He noted that it seemed taller than Harith, but that could be because of the heeled shoes. “Harith, if this is you, you’ll have to prove it to us.”

The Leonin looked at him from underneath long, sparkling lashes, tears hanging from its edges. His lips quivered. “Y-you saved me from the Dark F-forest… I was the only one who s-survived…”

The Demon Hunter shook his head. “Too many people know about that.”

“Y-your favorite color is blue!”

“The clothes gave it away?” Granger snickered, before Alucard turned to give him a warning glance. “I’m sorry, um, Harith, but you’ll have to be better than that. I know you’re under duress right now, but we have to absolutely sure. So you’ll have to give us something more believable…otherwise I’ll allow Granger to use his gun.”

The Leonin’s eyes widened in fear, then panic, then anger. He pursed his lips and his gloved hands clenched into small fists. That—that looked familiar. It was the expression Harith had when facing multitudes of monsters in battle…

“I…” The Leonin stalled for a moment, then continued anyways—“I SAW YOU AND GRANGER KISSING IN THE GARDEN BEHIND THE MONASTERY TWO MONTHS AGO!!!”

Then he hid his face behind those gloves, cheeks immediately turning red.

Alucard was floored. Quite literally, since he leaned back to sit on the floor in blank shock. Behind him, he heard a dull thud against the wood, quite possibly Granger having to lean on the wall for support. He felt like hiding his face behind his hands as well.

“Holy shit. It’s him.”

___________________

“Whatever did we tell you about being too playful with your magic? It’s stubbornness like that that causes accidents like these to happen,” Alucard scolded Harith as he wrapped his arms around the swordsman, tears still flowing from his eyes. He buried his face in Alucard’s torso, crying tears of fear, nervousness, and frustration—despite the morning he’s had, he didn’t want his guardians to see him being too weepy.

Also his face was still red from what he confessed merely minutes ago, and it was going to take a while before the blush disappears.

“So it’s a spell that caused this,” Granger said. “A spell from one of the books you borrowed from the library.”

Harith nodded, not leaving Alucard’s person.

“So, have you searched for the counterspell yet? I’m pretty sure there would be one.”

“W-well, there is a counterspell section…”

“And?”

“And I haven’t looked for it yet?”

He heard the musician sigh tiredly, and Alucard gently distanced himself from the Leonin, his hand ruffling Harith’s hair. He didn’t have it in him to protest.

“Wow, your hair’s a lot softer like this,” The swordsman laughed gently, and finally Harith gave him a withering glare. “Don’t you dare! I look like a joke!”

“You really don’t,” Granger countered as he regarded the book on the reading desk. “You look very pretty.”

“I am _not_!”

“Is that why you cast the spell?” Alucard asked, confused. He sat down on the bed and picked up the other books Harith borrowed. “To look pretty?”

“ _NO!”_

“You’re getting frustrated,” Granger continued, now flipping through the book. His tone was still teasing, but his voice had gentled. “That’s cute.”

“I already _am_ frustrated!” Harith howled, he was tempted to sob again, but he settled for wrapping his arms around himself in exasperation, plopping down next to Alucard. “I want this spell to go away!”

“Maybe we can try changing your clothes,” Alucard suggested. “I don’t think we can do anything about the ears or tail, but we can definitely get rid of those dress and shoes.”

“Alright,” Harith replied meekly. He bent down to unbuckle the shoes—only to find that it can’t be unbuckled. He tried tugging on the ribbons. They wouldn’t undo. He tried pulling the stockings off next. They seemed to be glued onto his skin. _They weren't coming off, why weren't they coming off—_

“I—I can’t!”

“What do you mean you can’t?” Alucard reached over to tug on Harith’s gloves instead, his face also becoming bemused as he couldn’t seem to remove them. “That’s odd… it must be part of the spell...”

“Why is this happening?!” The Leonin cried, distraught, tears started forming in his eyes again. “I was just curious about the spells…”

“I’m sure there’s a counterspell for this, don’t worry. We’ll find it soon,” The Demon Hunter assured Harith. “If it’s not in that book, I’m sure it will be in the others.”

“Here,” Granger set the book down in front of Harith, his expression and tone ten times kinder than before. “I couldn’t find it, but maybe you can.”

Harith took the book from him with shaky fingers, flipping back to the counterspell section he found last night. “I…I can’t find it either! What’s this?! I swear I saw one last night—where was it—oh…” He grazed his fingers along one of the counterspells. “It... it only looked like the counterspell… it’s for something else…”

“Look, we promise we’ll figure this out, okay?” Alucard pressed on before Harith started sobbing again. “We have all day. We’ll find a counterspell. Then if we don’t, we’ll ask help from other mages. Hey… isn’t Nana a mage that specializes in transformational magic? We can ask—“

“No! No! Don’t tell my friends!”

“Yeah, and Harley used to study in the Magic Academy too,” Granger continued the train of thought. “I bet he’d know something to fix this spell..”

“If you tell them, I swear…” Harith’s brows furrowed intimidatingly, he raised his gloved hands and made glowing orbs of magic. “I swear I’ll _vaporize_ both of you!”

The two Demon Hunters looked at him innocently… then guiltily.

“…Harith… I think you should take a look at your magic…” Alucard said as Granger cleared his throat and averted his gaze.

Harith turned to his palms in confusion. Where there used to be luminous blue spheres of magic, now there were magic beams of pink.

Pink _hearts_ , to be exact.

Harith’s eyes welled up again—

“HEY! ALU! GRANGER! HARITH! ANYONE HOME!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wild Alunger appeared!
> 
> also, updates might come a bit slower since we're busy cleaning up our house for the next couple of weeks. but rest assured, i will update. it just won't be as often as i'd prefer.
> 
> Stay safe, everyone! Wash your hands always and practice social distancing!
> 
> comments and kudos are well-appreciated as always :)
> 
> for updates and other stupid stuff, follow me on ig @cheol_apple


	3. Help(?) Has Arrived!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harith, Alucard, and Granger scramble to find something that can reverse the spell. Alucard, in particular, pulls in some favors that Harith isn't so happy about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been 3 years
> 
> i think

Fanny has experienced some amazing things in her life.

The day that she finally mastered the art of cables and flew through the skies.

The day that Silvanna blessed her with Lightborn armor and she was able to defeat monsters by the hundreds.

The day she managed to convince Tigreal that it was perfectly fine to open Granger’s guitar case _and honestly, brother, what’s the harm in that, it’s just a guitar case—_

—none of those experiences could have prepared her for the scene that greeted her when she arrived at Alucard and Granger’s home that day and climbed to the second floor, where she saw the famed Demon Hunter and Death Chanter grappling with an adorable little girl, in the middle of abruptly tossed books, and a still-smoking burn mark on the wall evident that some magic had been casted and casted _badly_.

And still, none of that could have prepared her for what the Demon Hunters told her next—

“You’re telling me… that _that_ young lady…” Fanny turned to the dining table, where the girl was forlornly eating a waffle. That in itself was disturbing; waffles should make someone anything but forlorn—“that, is Harith?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Alucard nodded somberly. “Spell went wrong.”

“No way,” Fanny looked at her—him—again. The feline creature hissed at her. _That’s Harith, alright_.

“Yes way,” The fighter continued. “We have to find a counterspell, obviously, but it’s been off to a rocky start. And I think that’s an understatement in itself.”

“I don’t know…” Fanny leaned against the wall, staring at Harith again. “I think he looks _fabulous_.”

“We tried telling him that,” Alucard told her. “Don’t let him hear you say that.”

“So what now?” The assassin shrugged. “Tigreal told me to fetch you, actually. Something about updates for your mission.”

“Well, we can’t leave Harith like this!” Alucard griped, running his fingers through his hair. Fanny snickered silently, the Demon Hunter’s fatherly side was showing. Again. “I don’t like seeing Harith this miserable!”

“You have to admit it’s kind of funny, though,” Fanny insisted anyways. “Imagine how jealous Nana would be once she finds out how much prettier of a Leonin Harith turned out to be. That young Vance boy, too…” she tilted her head in thought. “Ah, he wouldn’t be jealous, but I bet he’d feel some type of way—“

“That’s it!” Alucard said suddenly, he snapped his fingers too close to Fanny’s ear. “Um. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Fanny grumbled. “I didn’t need my eardrums anyway.”

“Fanny, you know where the Vances live, right?”

“Am I everybody’s personal messenger today?” She complained. “If I had known I would’ve charged for every minute I spend from cable to cable!”

“I’ll pay you a hundred dias,” Alucard offered.

“Done.”

_________________

“Where’s Alucard gone off to now?” Harith pouted as he carried his books down to living room, belatedly realizing the bells on his cloak tinkled with every heavy step he took. “Isn’t he going to help?”

“Of course he is,” Granger replied. “Tigreal just needed to talk to him about updates for our mission. Here, let me help…” He took half the books in the Leonin’s arms, setting them down on their coffee table.

“I _can_ carry them you know,” Harith huffed. “Just because I look like a girl doesn’t mean I move like one—“

“Hey, no one’s saying that,” The marksman replied. “I was just trying to help. Besides,” He took a book from the pile and sat across from Harith. “There are plenty of women out there stronger than you or me.”

“That’s also true,” Harith said ruefully, picking up the book that was the culprit of all this, still a little bit desperate for a counterspell. “I’m sorry…”

“Harith, it’s okay…”

“No, really, I’m sorry.” A stray tear fell from his cheek without him noticing, blotting the open page. He hung his head, hoping Granger wouldn’t notice. “I was really irresponsible. You and Alucard were right, I should learn to use my magic properly. If I paid more attention to the book last night, I would’ve noticed there was no counterspell. I also apologize for making this mess just before you guys leave for a mission, you should be preparing for it instead—“

“Stop this, now,” Harith felt a pat on his shoulder and looked up to see Granger, collar unzipped, a small smile on his face. He sat down beside Harith, keeping his hand on the Leonin’s shoulder. “We’re not the best Demon Hunters in the Empire for no reason. Alucard and I are perfectly capable of performing a mission on short notice. So let’s just focus on reversing this spell for now, okay? That way we can leave you knowing you’re fine. Also,” his smile widened. “I appreciate you admitting to your mistakes. But admit another thing. You’re saying this to me now, but you don’t want to repeat this to Alucard, don’t you?”

Harith wrinkled his nose. “He’d make a big deal out of it.”

“He would,” Granger sighed. “Alright, I’ll let him know you’re sorry. But yes, first things first—let’s get this ridiculously soft hair off your head. I’m not optimistic about most things, but for you, we’ll make exceptions. I’m positive we’ll find a counterspell soon.”

_________________

“We are _not_ finding a counterspell soon,” Granger groaned, hours later, slumped dramatically over the _same_ book. “I know we’re just grasping for straws now, but can’t we look at another book instead? Maybe find it there? Cross reference?”

“I doubt we’d find it anywhere else but the source,” Harith admitted. “Not all spell books are the same, reversing a spell by using something from a completely different guide in unpredictable. Besides, didn’t you tell me you were going to be optimistic about this?”

“I did,” The reply was muffled due to the musician’s proximity to the pages. “People change.”

“Great,” Harith mumbled, pulling the book from underneath Granger’s face, ignoring the thud as the marksman’s forehead made contact with the table. “Wish _I_ could change. This fur coat is too stuffy. Why couldn’t I have transformed into something comfier?”

“Because you banged my head against the table, that’s why,” The musician complained. “Huh. Speaking of reversing…” Granger tapped his finger to his chin. “Maybe we can try saying the spell backwards. Sort of like undoing it, almost.”

Harith only stared at him in disbelief.

“I think you hit your head too hard, Granger. That would _never_ work!”

“It’s worth a shot!”

Before Harith could reply with something completely smart and original like “Ha, a _shot_ , because you shoot guns,” their front door opened. Harith straightened up immediately, thinking it was Alucard. By the edge of his periphery, he saw Granger blushing lightly and zipping up his collar quickly. _Ha._

But it wasn’t Alucard.

“Hey! You still look the same!” Fanny grinned, leaning against the door. “That means they didn’t come all this way for nothing!”

“ _Who_ didn’t come all this way for nothing?” Granger demanded, probably the slightest bit annoyed it wasn’t the swordsman at the door.

Fanny stepped aside with a flourish to let her companions step inside, and Harith immediately wanted to cast his own magic on himself and disintegrate on the spot.

Ogling him now were the famed markswomen of the empire—Lesley Vance, and Miya of the Moon Elves.

And their two charges—Harley Vance and Nana of the Leonins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe, everyone! Wash your hands always and practice social distancing!
> 
> comments and kudos are well-appreciated as always :)
> 
> for updates and other stupid stuff, follow me on ig @cheol_apple


	4. Desperate Times call for Desperate Measures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley admits something he didn't want to admit. Meanwhile, Nana finds a solution to Harith's problem... sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long. I already have the ending planned out, but the problem is I don't feel like writing it lmao.
> 
> speaking of the end, we're almost there, so stay tuned~

Harley regrets inviting Nana over.

That was nothing new, every time Nana visits the Vance estate, either with Miya or on her own, it always ends with Harley blankly looking out their gates, the Leonin waving back at him gleefully, and his mind just going through the sentence “ _Let’s not invite Nana over again_.”

Of course, that never happens, and Nana always comes over. Visit. Do… something? Leave. Repeat.

But today, _today_ , Harley really regrets inviting Nana over.

Moreover, he regrets inviting Nana to his room while Miya and Lesley do something downstairs (He doesn’t really want to find out what). He doesn’t know what it is with Leonins and exploring, but Nana is upon his stuff within _minutes_ , going through his shelves and books, dismantling his papers and diagrams from when he studied at the Academy, basically being just a big mess.

If he didn’t know better, it was almost as though Nana was looking for something—

“AHA!”

Harley was jilted out of his worried thoughts, and he almost dropped the plate of cookies Lesley insisted they bring upstairs. Nana was sitting at the top of his closet—how in the Land of Dawn did she get up there?—and was looking very pleased with herself. A leather notebook was in her hands.

A leather notebook that seemed awfully familiar…

“Hey! Where—where did you get that?! Give it back!” Harley ran up to the mischievous Cat Elf. He considered throwing the cookies at her.

“But why, Harley-I-have-a-big-crush-on-Harith Vance? I just started reading!” Nana stuck out her tongue at him, flipping to another page. “Wow… these first few pages are just you continuously denying it. I’m so happy Miya taught me to read four months ago. I never wcould’ve enjoyed this then!”

“You just learned to read… four months ago?” The mage was aghast.

“There aren’t a lot of books in the Enchanted Forest, okay!? But there were a ton in the Empire, so…” Nana crossed her legs on top of the closet. “But that’s not important! What’s important is that you like Harith, and you didn’t tell me!”

“Was I supposed to tell you!?”

“Of course! It would help you relieve your feelings! See here—“ The Leonin cleared her throat. “ _Harith looked stupidly good today—his eyes looked like gold gems but his hair was like pure silver—“_

“If you read one more word, I will not hesitate to throw this plate at you and then some,” Harley threatened.

“Oh! Cookies!” Nana executed a perfect leap off Harley’s closet to take the plate away from him. “Hmmm… not as good as forest mushrooms but good enough. Miss Vance is really improving.”

“Noted,” Harley grumbled. “Can I have my journal back now?”

“Of course, my dear friend Harley,” Nana giggled as she tossed the notebook back to the disgruntled mage, who immediately shoved it into a corner shelf along with the other things Nana had tossed around. _I swear to the Lord of Light, I will never, ever, let Nana into my room ever again—_

“Ya know, Harley, I really wouldn’t judge,” Nana climbed onto Harley’s bed. Cookie crumbs fell onto his bedspreads. “There’s nothing wrong about liking someone. People do it all the time.”

“Yes… but…” A light blush tinged Harley’s cheeks as he swiped a cookie from the plate himself. “It’s awkward when you like your best friend.”

“But people also like their best friends all the time!” Nana pointed out. “Mister Alucard and Mister Granger, they’re best friends. Don’t they like each other? And… and even Miya and Miss Vance! Don’t pretend like you don’t notice it Harley. I know you do. They like each other. Like, _like_ each other.”

“Don’t remind me,” Harley mumbled into his pillows.

“So there’s really nothing to worry about!” Nana continued. “I’m even going to ignore the fact that _I’m_ supposed to be your best friend! Your crush will be our little secret. Just treat me to those amazing petit fours we saw in Eruditio and it’ll be fine.”

 _There it is,_ Harley sighed. “I don’t have that kind of money—“

“INCOMING!!!” A blur of purple swooped in through Harley’s window, barely stopping itself from crashing into Harley’s bookshelf. The blur solidified into a girl only a few years older than Harley, with red-gold hair and golden eyes.

“Miss Fanny!” Nana recognized her first, sliding off the bed and Harley following suit. “It’s nice to see you!”

“Hey, Nana! Harley,” Fanny smiled at them in greeting. “I hope you don’t mind. Your estate has awfully large windows. I couldn’t resist.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Miss Fanny. What brings you here?”

“You, actually. And you too, Nana.” Fanny adjusted the cables on her belt. “Alucard’s asked for your presence at his apartment.”

“Mister Alucard?” Nana asked just as the door to Harley’s room opened, and Lesley and Miya barged in as well. Lesley’s blouse was buttoned unevenly and her coat was wrinkled. Miya’s ponytail was veering sideways.

“Miss Vance, Miya,” Fanny gave them a mock salute. “Sorry if I was interrupting anything.”

“I—interrupting—ridiculous, you weren’t interrupting anything important at all!” Lesley said, her voice breathy and high—a sign Harley had come to recognize that his sister was lying. “It’s, it’s all good, we’re just two normal people, right Miya?”

Miya stared at her incredulously before the sniper elbowed her. “Ah—yes. Nothing important at all. Um, what were you saying you were here for? Fanny?”

Nana snorted. “Smooth.” Fanny looked as though she was having the best day of her life.

“Ah, yes. I’m here because Alucard asked for Harley and Nana to go to his apartment, as soon as they are able to.”

“Is he going to adopt them?” Lesley deadpanned. It was Miya’s turn to elbow her.

“While I’m sure there’s an offer in there somewhere, that’s not the case,” Fanny said. “There’s been… um… an incident. A _magic_ incident.”

“Ah, that must be why.” Nana nodded. “And Harley and I are the two closest mages living nearby, right?”

“Wait, if Mister Alucard’s looking for a mage, then why not just ask Harith? He lives with him, right?” The mage’s eyes widened in realization. “Is something wrong? Did something happen to him?”

Fanny gave him a knowing smile. “Funny you should ask.”

_________________

 _Somebody kill me,_ Harith thought. _Please. Anyone. It doesn’t matter who._

_Okay, maybe not those diabolical, disgusting demons that destroyed his village—he doesn’t want anything to do with those creatures—_

_—Oh, and would someone please, please change him back to his normal appearance before he died? He didn’t want to die looking like some sort of Leonin princess—_

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Nana burst out laughing. Her arms clasped over her stomach as she doubled down, giggles continuously spluttering from her. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Nana!” Miya scolded her, although her violet eyes seemed to gleam more than usual. Lesley was also clearly trying not to laugh, her shoulders were trembling, and she was biting her lip.

The only newcomer who seemed nonplused was Harley, and it looked like it was for all the wrong reasons. He kept staring at Harith as though he was a stranger. The tips of his ears were turning bright red.

“H-Harith?” Harley said hesitantly. There was an expression Harith couldn’t read in the young Vance’s eyes. But for some reason, Harith was sure that he wasn’t about to make fun of him. The way Nana did, at least.

“No, it’s his dear friend—obviously, it’s me, Harley! I just look—“

“ _Absolutely gorgeous_ ,” Nana fake swooned, making Fanny giggle as well. Harith grumbled in his seat, fuming. _This was exactly why he told Alucard not to invite them over! This was embarrassing—_

“You’re here to help, right? Not ogle?” Granger reached over protectively, placing a hand over’s Harith’s tightly fisted ones. “So help us. Surely you must know something.”

“I could help…” Harley admitted, and Nana’s expression began to calm down at the sight of the marksman’s glare. “… but I need to know what happened first. Was it a faulty spell? Did someone curse him?”

“None of those. I, uh, read a spell and didn’t realize there was a counter. If there was I would’ve casted it ages ago.” Harith gestured to the books in front of him, glowering when he heard the bell at his neck tinkle with the movement. “And I can’t take these off either! So yeah, maybe it _is_ like a curse. I feel incredibly cursed right now.”

He tugged on the ridiculous accessory, before realizing Harley was still staring at him. “What is up with you, Vance? Can you not?”

“I—“ Harley gulped, looking away, almost bumping against Lesley as he did so. Nana only rolled her eyes at the mage, before gamely skipping over to Harith and sitting beside him.

“What are you doing?"

“What do you mean, _what am I doing_? I’m going to help. I’m going to read all of these!”

Harith remembered that Nana only learned to read four months ago and wisely decided not to say anything.

“That’s the problem. We _have_ read through all of these books Harith borrowed. And still no counterspell. Since you know transformation magic, Nana, and Harley’s been to the Magic Academy, we were hoping you’d know something the books didn’t.” Granger said.

“That’s kind of you to say, Mister Granger, but I only know transformation magic when my dear Molina is involved.” Nana wrinkled her nose. “Maybe Harley…”

“Me?” Harley started, and his gaze went back to Harith. Their eyes met, and Harith got a suspicion that he was hiding something. “I’m just a kid! I don’t know anything!”

“Now, Harley,” Lesley began. “Surely you must know something—“

“No! No I don’t! And that’s that. Sorry.” Harley shrugged and crossed his arms. Harith only scoffed at him. That sounded more like the arrogant Harley he had first met when he came to the Empire, and he honestly preferred that rather than to when the Vance was looking like him like a fish in a bowl. But still… he felt like Harley wasn’t sharing something…

Nana’s eyes narrowed as well, but she turned her attention back to the books. “You borrowed these?”

“Yeah.” Harith replied. “From the Imperial Sanctuary.”

“Then the solution’s quite simple, isn’t it?” Nana looked back at him, grinning. “You have to go back there!”

“What—go back? _In this outfit_? Are you crazy?”

“Why? It makes sense,” The Leonin persisted. “It was technically the source of the spell. Who’s to say we can’t find a counterspell in their library?”

Harith grimaced. She had a point. Still… “You can’t possibly expect me to go out in this.”

“We just won’t tell them it’s you, obviously. Oh! You can go with Harley! And he can say you’re his _girlfriend~”_

“Nana, I swear to the Lord of Light—“

“Nana,” Miya interjected. “That’s quite enough.”

“What?” Nana protested anyway. “I have a point.”

Granger cleared his throat. “The raccoon has a point.”

“ _Raccoon?_ ”

“We’ll have to look at the source. I’ll come with you, Harith. We can go pick up Alucard afterwards.”

“But…” Harith pursed his lips in thought. “If you accompany me, then they’ll really know I’m Harith!”

“Would that be so embarrassing?” Granger replied, confused, but Harith only pointed to Harley. “Nana’s right. Harley has to be the one to accompany me.”

“Accompany you? Wearing that? In your dreams,” Harley bit back, though his cheeks reddened slightly. “Why can’t Nana come with you?”

“Because it’s almost noon, and if we want to get back to the Enchanted Forest in time, Nana and I are leaving immediately after this,” MIya said. “I’m really sorry, Harith, but Nana’s right. This isn’t Elven magic. Perhaps, after you scour the Imperial Sanctuary for answers, you can come back for help. But I highly doubt it’d make any change.”

Harley finally turned to his sister. “Lesley, you can’t possibly—“

“It’s fine, Harley. Princess Silvanna knows you so nothing bad will happen to you. I assume you’re asking for permission?”

“W-what? No! I’m asking for you _not_ to permit me!”

“Harley,” Lesley’s voice hardened, although there was a gleam in her eye. “You will accompany Harith to the library. He is your friend, after all.”

“But—but—“

“That’s all settled, then.” Granger stood up, leaving Harith no choice but to stand up as well. “I have to go consult with Tigreal anyways. Coming, Fanny?”

“Sure thing,” Fanny grinned at him. “It’ll be fun to walk with someone for a change.”

“Come along, Nana,” Miya told the Leonin. Nana gave Harith an apologetic smile. “Really sorry I can’t help you more, Harith.” Then she reached over to tug a lock of the mage’s hair. “But I still think you’re gorgeous.”

“Shut up,” Harith mumbled, shuffling over to where Harley was standing.

“Don’t fight, you two.” Lesley admonished them, before patting Harley on the shoulder. “I need to cook for later anyways, so I’ll see you when you get home.”

“I’ll cook _you_ for later,” Harley grumbled, but immediately withered underneath Lesley’s gaze. They all left the house, Harith standing by as Granger locked the front door.

“Hey,” Granger turned to the sulking Leonin. “It’ll be fine.”

“It’ll be _embarrassing_ ,” Harith whined.

“As you so persistently keep on repeating,” The marksman replied. “But it serves you right, I guess.”

“I can’t believe Alucard really invited them over!”

“And they were the ones who suggested a solution, so hold back your judgment for now. Don’t worry. If this fails,” An evil grin formed on Granger’s face. “You can punish Alucard however you want.”

Harith brightened slightly. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Oi, Harith!” Harley called. “Are we going to the Imperial Sanctuary or not!?”

Harith sighed deeply before walking towards him. “Let’s get this over with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nana is chaotic good
> 
> Stay safe, everyone! Wash your hands always and practice social distancing!
> 
> comments and kudos are well-appreciated as always :)
> 
> (for updates and other stupid stuff follow me on ig @cheol_apple)

**Author's Note:**

> me: i don't know whether i want this skin to be released or not lmao  
> also me: *already calculating how much dias this will cost*
> 
> Stay safe, everyone! Wash your hands always and practice social distancing!
> 
> comments and kudos are well-appreciated as always :)
> 
> for updates and other stupid stuff, follow me on ig @cheol_apple


End file.
